In a number of organizations, separate functions are distributed amongst various different development teams, such as a hardware team, a software team, a mechanical team, a testing team, and a database team, as a few examples. This diversification enables personnel to specialize in different product aspects to create a deeper understanding and higher skill level within their respective teams. During a cross-functional activity, several teams will be involved such that a number of tasks have to be organized to be executed by different teams in an overlapped time period.
When performing activities in a cross-functional team, a number of administrative tasks and management members can be added to the team to ensure tasks are carried out in a timely fashion. This addition of tasks and members generally adds time to a team schedule, but also ensures the tasks are carried out appropriately throughout an organization.